metal-organic compounds
Open access
The title heteroleptic bis-terpyridine complex, [Ru(C15H11N3)(C17H11N3)](PF6)2·2CH3CN, crystallized from an acetonitrile solution as a salt containing two hexafluoridophosphate counter-ions and two acetonitrile solvent molecules. The RuII atom has a distorted octahedral geometry due to the restricted bite angle [157.7 (3)°] of the two mer-arranged N,N',N''-tridendate ligands, viz. 2,2':6',2''-terpyridine (tpy) and 4'-ethynyl-2,2':6',2''-terpyridine (tpy'), which are essentially perpendicular to each other, with a dihedral angle of 87.75 (12)° between their terpyridyl planes. The rod-like acetylene group lies in the same plane as its adjacent terpyridyl moiety, with a maximum deviation of only 0.071 (11) Å from coplanarity with the pyridine rings. The mean Ru-N bond length involving the outer N atoms trans to each other is 2.069 (6) Å at tpy and 2.070 (6) Å at tpy'. The Ru-N bond length involving the central N atom is 1.964 (6) Å at tpy and 1.967 (6) Å at tpy'. Two of the three counter anions were refined as half-occupied.